For the 2nd time, I am three years into a million dollar business venture of my own creation and I am beginning to see a pattern.  I am committed to living beyond patterns and conditioning, so now that the pattern has been noticed, I am committed to doing something different.

What did Einstein say?  “Insanity is doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results.”

So here I am.

Exactly where I was just a couple of years ago in so many respects.

And yet so far away.

The difference this time is that I seem to be willing to let go in the right places, even though it’s really hard.

I kept my law firm operating too long because I couldn’t let go.  I told myself it was because I had to take care of all the people who worked for me.  I was doing it for them.

A part of me was.  But, another part of me simply couldn’t let go.  Of them.  Of the clients.  Of the reputation.  Of the identity.

By the time I did, it was too late.

And I’m still dealing with the fall out from it.

I won’t do the same thing again.  And, yet, here I am.  Making the conscious decision to break free of conditioning and patterned responses is difficult.

I’ve done what I do and built something that’s making a huge difference.  But, it’s time for its next evolution.

And I’m committed to allowing that evolution to happen in a way that’s best for the organization as a whole.  The work is too important.

I won’t make the same mistake.  Maybe a different one, but not the same one.

So, I’m letting go.  But instead of letting go into the hands of someone who has never run a million dollar company before and doesn’t have a proven track record (which is what I did last time), I’ve decided to create a whole new paradigm of business operation.

This will either be the greatest experiment in letting go ever and I’ll go on to write a 4-Hour Work Week-like book about it and make it to the NYT bestseller list or I’ll be just be another schmo who runs businesses into the ground.

That’s my fear of course.

One failure is acceptable and even seen as a positive in some circles.

But, two?  That begins to look like a pattern.

That’s what my mind tells me at least.

Of course, lots of people tell me that my law firm was a huge success, not a failure.  And then I tell myself that too as reinforcement.  Because it was – if I had wanted to be a lawyer.  I’d be rolling in the dough now.  A pillar of my community.  Living the American Dream.

It sounds great and I know I SHOULD have wanted it.  It just wasn’t my path.

So I sold it and had what I have now discovered is an all too common post-sale experience.  Within 6 months, the guy I sold it to stopped paying me, stopped paying the bills and was not servicing the clients as I would have.

Since I’ve started talking about this, I’ve begun to hear from other business owners that this is a quite common situation.  A company is sold to the wrong person or people and in anywhere from 6 months to 2 years, the company is out of business.  Each one left with a varying degree of debt and/or liability.

I don’t want that to happen again.

The work I have created is transformational.  I know how much it’s impacting lawyers and the clients they serve on a deep level.

I can’t make the same mistake again.

So, I’m doing something different.  Very different.

Yesterday, I announced to my Personal Family Lawyers that now that the company is three years old and has a solid foundation – solid recurring revenue, systems that are proven to work not just by me, but now by additional law firms implementing the systems as well, documented financials and projections – it’s time to evolve to the next level.

I consider all different possibilities and ultimately thanks to the purpose work I’m doing with Tim Kelley, I have determined that the most purposeful thing I can do is let go with purpose.

Letting go with purpose for me means looking at what would be most purposeful for me individually, the company as a whole and ultimately the world.  Discovering that option, becoming aware of it, then trusting and letting go.

It’s scary as shit.

So yesterday, I sent the PFLs a letter letting them know that I am going to model the new paradigm of collaborative operations within the PFL program.

Over the next few weeks, I will be inviting Personal Family Lawyers who meet certain criteria to be on the Senior Counsel of the organization. They will pay a membership fee to participate (so they have skin in the game) and receive my personal coaching on their business (people pay $3,000/mo. for this) in exchange for their membership on the Counsel.

Those are the last decisions I will make alone and the group can choose to change them as part of the collaborative process, which takes into account the perspectives of all stakeholders.

This group will be trained in the Collaborative Operating System model and we will document that as best as possible to share with other organizations in the future in case this works.

Within some period of time (once the training is complete), I intend that the Senior Counsel (of which I will be a member) redesign every aspect of the program so that the work thrives if the community wants it to thrive.

That means, the Counsel will make all decisions, including the extent of my continued involvement, how  much I’ll be paid if I do continue to be involved, how much I’ll be paid if I don’t continue to be involved, what I do on behalf of the organization, etc.

This is a grand experiment. I will chronicle it here, even when it’s scary.  Especially when it’s scary.

A model of the new paradigm.

How can I talk to you about how it should be, if I’m not blazing the trail?

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Please let me know that this is impactful for you.  Hearing that will give me the fuel I need to keep going down this path (as if I could stop it now?!?) – I’m really scared and the fact that it inspires you, inspires me to keep going.

Yesterday, I was coaching a private client who will be offering a $50,000 training package in the fall.

A big ticket item.

Before she makes her offer, she wants to prove she can successfully train someone else on her methods.  Smart.

She’s been extremely successful in her own business, but has not yet trained an outsider, so wanted to take on a test case while we get the program designed and marketing materials ready for her launch.

I thought that was a great idea, but only if she had an airtight agreement with her test case that would protect her intellectual property and her reputation in case something went wrong.

I’m her coach, not her lawyer, so I didn’t offer to draft the agreement.

During our coaching session yesterday she showed me a licensing agreement she had put together for her test case.

The first thing I asked her was “did you have a lawyer prepare this agreement?”

She said “no, I did it myself.”

I was impressed. It looked a little homemade, but it was a pretty darn good agreement.

After reviewing it, I noticed there were a couple of ambiguities and that she hadn’t quite thought through all of the points of the agreement, specifically those relating to exit – what if someone wants out early?

I pointed out the two areas that could leave some area of potential risk and she’s going to revise her agreement to close those loops.

She would have had to pay a lawyer big bucks to draft a legal agreement like this for her, but because she’s a smart business woman she did a few things right that can save you thousands on legal fees, if you do them too.

So how do you apply this to your own business and life?

1.  Be extremely knowledgeable about agreements and all the other legal stuff you need to do for your business, in your business, and to protect your personal assets from your business.

2.  Get comfortable preparing your own simple agreements.

3.  Clearly think through exactly what you want your agreement to do before you write a single word.

4.  Have your agreement reviewed and edited by a lawyer, before you get it signed.

5.  Have a really good lawyer on your side who will consult with you, review and edit your agreements on a flat-fee, membership type basis instead of hourly or even by the transaction, so you never have to worry about calling your lawyer or how much it’s going to cost.

It really can be that simple to save thousands on legal fees.  And build yourself a business you can really count on.

If you don’t feel knowledgeable about the legal stuff you need to run your business on a solid foundation, check out my LIFT Foundation System & Toolkit.

And, hey, let me know about how you’ve worked with a lawyer in a unique way like this in the past or where working with a lawyer hasn’t been like this for you.  I’m always interested in hearing real stories of business owners and their experience with lawyers and the legal system.

A lot of times when I write here, it’s to remind myself of the truth. This is one of those times.

Last year’s big lesson was “boundaries.” How to set them with an open heart. That’s the razor’s edge I’m talking about.

This year’s is shaping up to be “don’t settle” and it’s rocking my world at the deepest level.

Bringing up all sorts of stuff I’ve been trying really hard not to look at. For a long time.

I’ve settled a lot because I was scared and willing to take what came along or hang on to what I already had because that felt safer.

It’s a lie. It’s not safer.

It’s the worst thing we can possibly due to ourselves because it stops the flow and cuts off all possibilities.

Once we settle and say “good enough” that’s what we get, good enough. Not spectacular. Not incredible. Not phenomenal.

Good enough.

And you never get to taste blow the roof off.

Blow the roof off is worth not settling. It’s worth stepping through your greatest fears of being alone, being bitchy, being demanding, and high maintenance.

You deserve to be high maintenance.

Now that I think of it, men don’t seem to have this problem as much as women.

Men are  either okay with settling or they don’t settle. It seems only to be us women who wrestle with this like we do. (Men! Let me know if I’m wrong and this is a struggle for you too.)

Women seem to get into this place when they are not getting their needs met of blaming themselves and being willing to revise their needs based on what they are getting.

I remember talking about this with my sister about a year ago.

She had these needs that were not getting met by her relationship with her boyfriend and instead of talking to him about it and letting him know, she said “But, maybe I just shouldn’t need what I need.”

Then, it came up again when she and I were out looking for a new place for her this past weekend.  She found a place that would have been “good enough” – well, except for the fact that it was on the first floor in a not so hot neighborhood!  And she was going to take it rather than holding out for perfect, which she had already seen, but had fallen through.

She KNEW perfect was out there and yet was willing to take good enough rather than be patient.

What a wake up call for me to see that.

In that instant, I saw all the ways that I have settled in exactly the same way.  I judge myself, my wants, my needs and pull back because it hurts people’s feelings when they can’t meet them and they think I’m disappointed.

I shrink.  I withhold disappointment.  I tell myself “it’s fine” when it’s really not.

I’ve seen what it looks like to have my needs met and I know it’s possible. But ONLY if I hold out and be willing to be alone and scared (and every other thing I’m afraid of that results in me settling) until BLOW THE ROOF OFF comes along.

I don’t have to settle for good enough. And neither do you.

Not in your business.  Not in your life. Not at all.

In a couple of days, after I get through this insanity that’s coming up for me as I confront this current fear set, I’ll be back with my sure-fire way for manifesting BLOW THE ROOF off so you aren’t tempted to settle anymore.

Until then, share with me your stories of not settling and getting exactly what you wanted so I can get some inspiration for letting go of things that are really comfortable and safe in exchange for WOO-Freakin’-HOO!

My life is turning upside down.  I’m on the razor’s edge of exhilarated and scared to death. And I freakin’ love it.  Why would I love to live on the razor’s edge?  Because …

We are here to feel.

Ten years ago I stopped feeling in the name of security and comfort. Once I woke up from the numbness, I swore I’d never be okay with that again.

I made a promise to myself. Numb will not be my way of being even when it feels like the safest way to be.

I  insist on feeling no matter what and will not settle for any situation that requires me to hold myself in or shut down.

Being conscious requires feeling.  It requires connection to and awareness of self.   When I’m numb, I’m lost.

Can you feel it?

What brings me that feeling of aliveness is transformation. Change.

And I’m in the midst of it now.

Six weeks ago, I moved from Los Angeles to Colorado.

In just a few days, my online home will be moved as well. The Intrepid Mompreneur blog will transform into a new blog … Life, Business & The Pursuit of Truth.

Here’s a picture of the IM blog in its current state as I write this so when you are reading this post a few weeks from now, you’ll have a point of comparison.

The nature of my relationship with Dave is changing.

My business is transforming.

Everything. Is. Changing.

Friday night at the mastermind Dave and I were leading, I had a session with Tim Kelley, one of my coaches. (If you get a chance to work with Tim, take it – his process is amazing.)

Afterward, I felt this tingling aliveness (and also quite a bit of fear) as I saw that within 6 months every single thing in my life could be 180 degrees different.

I want to talk about all of it here, publicly, for all of you to read and see.

But before I do, Dave reminds me to examine that desire. Is it from a place of truth or conditioning?  What is the motivation behind it?

Do you share all your stuff publicly as it’s happening? Or do you wait until it’s complete?  If you do, do you know what your motivation is? Does it matter?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Yes, we had a Valentine’s Day wedding. (Note for anyone considering it: flowers are really expensive when you get married on V-Day!)

Since our wedding day, we’ve had two kids and been through a VERY rough divorce.

Today, we are once again living together in the same house and co-parenting our kids. This time as great friends. Maybe better friends than we ever were when we were dating or married.

I think it’s fair to say I love my ex more today than ever before. Family love. Like the kind I feel for my kids and my sister.  The kind of love that makes me want to do nice things for him, make his life easier, and take care of him.

Whenever I mention to folks that my ex and I are living together again, I get a lot of questions.  So in honor of Valentine’s Day, this post will provide some answers about how you too can love (and even live with) your ex again.

1.  Forgive radically.

Forgive the unforgivable.  And I do mean all of it.  If you heard some of the things I’ve forgiven, you’d say “no way, Alexis, I could never forgive that.”

Yes, you can.

And when you do, you’ll uncork a boundless amount of love within yourself and also for yourself.

When you withhold your forgiveness, you are not hurting your ex.  You are hurting yourself.  And your kids.

If you don’t know how to begin the process of forgiveness, be willing to see where you were 100% responsibility for your part of whatever you are pinning on your ex.  Then, forgive yourself for that.

If all else fails repeat this mantra silently to yourself until you feel forgiveness at your core:

“I’m sorry, please forgive me, thank you, I love you.”

2.  Accept completely.

Accept everything about your ex.  All of it.  Especially those things you simply could not accept when you were in relationship together.

Now that you are not together, they don’t affect you.  So, accept everything you couldn’t accept when you were together.  Your ex is not going to change.

You do know that by now, right?

If you say to yourself “well, those things do affect me because they affect my kids,” drop that.

Your kids came through the two of you because that is their path.  You chose to have children with this person. Forgive yourself for that and accept that your only role now is to help your kids learn how to grow through their relationship with your ex and accept even those parts of themselves that are just like your ex.

Whatever you do, never, never, never bad mouth your ex in front of your kids.  Ever.  When you fully accept your ex, you are showing your children they can love all parts of themselves.  When you badmouth your ex, you are implanting a message into your kids that there is something wrong with them.  Exactly what you don’t want to do.

Accept what is.

3.  Take nothing personally.

It’s quite possible that you are more emotionally developed than your ex.  If that is the case, see all of your future interactions as a test of the truth of that statement.  And if that is the case, it’s quite possible that your ex is still often triggered by interacting with you.

Have compassion for your ex every time he or she does that thing that used to get your goat when you were together.  Breathe.  Say to yourself “oh yeah, there’s that thing again.  that’s why we aren’t together. boy, am I happy to be free of that.”

And don’t take it personally.

It’s not about you.  Even if it’s something that’s being yelled at you in your face.  It’s still not about you.  Let it go and be grateful you get to walk away.

Three simple things that are not so simple in practice.  Forgive radically.  Accept completely. Take nothing personally.

Three ways of being in the world that will pay off tremendously for you, not just with your ex, but in every area of your life.

Today, on our 11th wedding anniversary, I am more grateful for my ex-husband than ever.  He’s been part of the fabric of my life for 16 years and shaped the me that I am today as much as my parents.

Every relationship (especially the difficult ones) give you an opportunity to be more of who you are.  To take the high road.   To forgive, when you think you can’t.  To have compassion.  To stop blaming and take personal responsibility for your part.  To love, even when it’s hard.

Loving your ex may be the very best thing you can ever do for yourself.

Since I started my series on expensive legal, insurance, financial and tax mistakes and launched my new LIFT Foundation System & Toolkit, I have received emails from several people about their own LIFT mistakes.

I wanted to share this one with you because it’s quite representative of reality AND it goes to show you that even if you have been to law school, you still need to know more than you think you do when it comes to the foundation of your business because your mistakes can cost you multi-thousands of dollars.

This comes from Attorney Michael S. Reed who made a multi-thousand dollar LIFT mistake when he chose the wrong name for his business because he just didn’t know:

“In Nov. 2008, I was ready to start my own title company. I formed an LLC in Maryland, my home state. [I formed the LLC and was advised by a tax professional to classify the LLC as an S-Corp, which I see is another topic you have mentioned lately.]

I was going to do business in Maryland, DC and Virginia. I started my own “due diligence,” meaning I searched each of the three government sites to make sure that the name I was choosing as the title company, was not taken. I chose “Esquire Settlements, LLC” as my name.

I ran into a similar looking company name in the Commonwealth of Virginia, known as “Esquire Settlement Services, LLC. I called the State Corporations Commissions and spoke to a clerk, who assured me that, because I was starting an LLC in Maryland, and this company existing since 1990 was a Virginia corporation, that “there shouldn’t be a problem.” Well, that was enough for me, and I happily proceeded with the company formation.

Long story short – everything was going smoothly, until, I received the complaint and summons for an infringement lawsuit in the US Eastern Dist. of Virginia:”
Esquire Settlement Services, Inc. et al v. Esquire Settlements, LLC
Plaintiffs: Esquire Settlement Services, Inc. and Daniel H. Borinsky, PLLC
Defendants: Esquire Settlements, LLC
Case Number: 1:2009cv01189
Filed: October 21, 2009

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So, as you can see, even professionals who you would think would have specific training about these sorts of issues are at risk of making expensive LIFT mistakes.

This one cost Michael several thousands of dollars and could have been so easily avoided, if only he’d known what to do before choosing the name for his corporation.

To make sure you don’t run into your own expensive LIFT mistakes in your business, check out my new LIFT Foundation System & Toolkit at charter member pricing, which will not be available after this Thursday.

And be sure to let me know if you have had any experiences like this yourself.  The more we talk out about these things, the more we can help others avoid making the same mistakes because they are simply doing business in the dark.

I’ve got to make this one kind of quick because it’s been one of those days.

I’m sick, my daughter is sick, I took my son to check out a new school and he wanted me to stay with him the whole time and now I’ve got to run my dog into the vet because he’s got the runs all over my carpet.

Did I happen to mention I am launching a new business tomorrow on top of all this?

Ah, such is life, right? I’ve learned that success comes from how you handle times like these.

So, hey, do me a favor and if you haven’t yet signed up for my call tomorrow, do it now.  It’ll make me feel better that I haven’t done everything I possibly can to promote this call today.

Ok, now before I run my dog to the vet, let me share a little story with you that suggests to me that a lot of you are making some big mistakes when it comes to your taxes and living the corporate lifestyle.

This is one of the primo benefits of being a business owner and an area where I made plenty of my own big mistakes.

2006 was the first year I hit a million dollars of revenue, yippee! But, I didn’t plan well at all and come April of 2007 I had an UNEXPECTED 6-figure tax bill. Yes, true story.

I had to take out a loan to pay those taxes.

What’s really sad is that if I had planned in advance, I could have cut that tax bill in half.

Live and learn. Expensive lesson that one was. I don’t want to see you have expensive lessons like that!

Then, last week I was out with a friend of mine who had come to visit and he bought a couple of gifts for two of his employees. Each gift was about $20.

After he paid, I saw him tell the cashier to toss the receipt. Fortunately, I caught him in time.

“Don’t toss that receipt! Those are business gifts. Keep the receipt. Write your employees name on the back and what the gift was and give it to your bookkeeper to deduct at tax time.”

You can deduct gifts up to $25 per person per year. And sure, it’s ONLY $25, but I’ll tell you what, every dollar counts.

Why give the government any more than you have to?

This is just one of the MANY ways you may be overpaying on your taxes and not taking full advantage of living the corporate lifestyle.

We’ll talk more about this tomorrow (Thursday) on my free call so register here.

And hey, let me know what specific questions you have about living the corporate lifestyle.

I’d love to hear and the comments are a great place to talk about it. Don’t be afraid. It’s time to start doing business with your eyes wide open and bring these issues into the light.

The first one has to do with one of the most common questions I get asked – should I set up my business as an S-Corp or an LLC?

In fact, this is such a common question I saw a friend of mine asking it on Twitter!

So before I answer the question, let me say this:

This is NOT a decision to be made by asking Twitter.

Okay then, if not on Twitter, how should you answer this question?

Well, to be absolutely sure about the best entity for you, you should talk with your LIFT advisors – preferably both your business lawyer and your CPA.

(One word of caution about CPAs … many of them are considering ONLY the tax consequences of incorporating and not liability protection, so if you talk to a CPA who tells you that you don’t need a business entity, reconsider that if you are building a real business.)

If you are not in a position to have a business lawyer and/or a CPA, there are a couple
things you should know before making your decision about the best entity to choose when incorporating your business …

Most business owners set up an LLC because they’ve heard that’s the simplest way to do things. And while that may be true, that can be an expensive decision.

In fact, for a business that is owned and operated by its owner (i.e. your entrepreneurial business), I almost always recommend an S-Corporation because it can save you between $2k-$5k per year on self employment taxes!

Setting up an LLC because you’ve heard it’s simple can prove to be an expensive mistake because you simply didn’t know the right thing to do.

That’s just one example of the many expensive mistakes I’ve seen business owners make when
they didn’t know what they really need for their business.

So, join me on Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 10a Pacific/1p Eastern when I will cover a whole lot more about what you need to know so you can STOP WASTING MONEY and GET SMART about what you really need to run your business the right way.

If there are any specific questions you want me to address on Thursday, let me know here in the comments.  And if you’d like to receive LIVE hot seat coaching with me on the call about the LIFT Foundation in your business, let me know that too!

“It’s Time For You to Stop Wasting Money On Things You
Don’t Really Need and Get Smart About Running Your Business”

By now, you’ve read the LIFT manifesto. You’ve heard Melanie Benson Strick, Ali Brown, Lisa Sasevich and MichelePW tell their stories of how having (or not having) a LIFT Foundation impacted their businesses.  (If you haven’t, do so soon because the interviews are gone after Thursday.)

You are ready to stop doing in the business in the dark and have a real deal, serious eyes wide open business…but you probably aren’t sure where to start when it comes to the legal, insurance, financial and tax parts.

What do you really need? Where do you start? Where do you go for help?

I’ve got your answers!

Join me on Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 10aPT PT/1p ET and get clear on exactly what you need to do next (and what you don’t!)

This is a one-time only call during which we’ll look at:

• The specific ways not having a LIFT Foundation (or having a shaky foundation) is holding you back in your business and what you can do about without getting taken to the cleaners.

• What you can do yourself if you are just starting out or want to keep things simple.

• What you need to have in place if you are a multi-passionate empire builder with tons of ideas and big vision.

• And I’m also going to reveal the one type of business owner who DOES NOT NEED my LIFT Foundation System in his or her business.

Regardless of where you are, you’ll leave with clarity about exactly what YOU need for YOUR business (and what you really don’t.)

I only have 250 available lines for this call, so please make sure you call in at least 5 min. early to make sure you can get on live and have the opportunity to receive hot seat coaching from me about the LIFT foundation you really need in your business plus hear about a very special LIFT offer only for people attending the call live.

Can’t make the call? No worries, sign up anyway and be on the VIP list to get a full 24 hours head start on getting the LIFT Foundation System in your hands.  This could be very important as I only have 100 systems available at charter member pricing.

So, what are you waiting for?  Go register! See you there.

Hint:  It makes way for you to deal with a whole host of other issues you haven’t been looking at because the financial fear has been taking up so much of your emotional energy.  But, I have to save that for a future post because it’s going to take a while to write and it’s too late for me to start that one now.

Why is it so late and I’m still sitting at my computer?

Because I’ve been putting the finishing touches on my LIFT Foundation System, which is going to be finally ready next week.  I cannot even tell you how excited I am to share this legacy project with you.

I’ve heard from several business people I’ve watched for years and respect tremendously that they have been waiting for exactly this program.

If you have not yet watched the deep behind the scenes interviews I did as a preview to LIFT with Melanie Benson Strick, Ali Brown and her VA turned biz partner Liz Murphy, and Lisa Sasevich, get them now.

People are RAVING about them.  These are not ordinary “why we are great” interviews – we are looking at the last taboos of business – financial collapse, business drama, and threats of lawsuits.

In the midst of my preparations for the launch of LIFT, I’ve been addressing LIFT issues in my own business.

Anytime your business is at a transition point, you are going to have LIFT issues come up.

They could come in the form of external things like you’ll hear about in the interviews I did with Melanie and Lisa or internal things like drama within your business, like I talked about with Ali and Liz.

But, one way or another, LIFT issues arise at times of transition and growth. How you deal with them, determines what your next level looks like.

Handle them with your eyes wide open and you are on your way to taking your business and life to the next level.  Handle them with your eyes squeezed shut and in the dark and it’s crash and burn time.

I’ve done the eyes squeezed shut thing once already and I refuse to allow it to happen again, so I’m digging back into the business side of my business, seeing what’s really there, accepting the reality of what it is and making decisions with awareness.

It’s bringing up all sorts of emotional stuff for me, that’s for sure.

Making hard decisions.  Looking at things I’ve avoided in the past.  Doing things I wasn’t willing to do in the past (generally around money and support).

But, fortunately, I’ve got a phenomenal LIFT team around me and with their help I’m doing what I need to do.   Establishing boundaries with an open heart.  And structuring my business so it can make an impact forever and not just a few years.

It’s not so easy, but what I’ve realized is that it’s true what they say nothing worth having comes easy.  Easy is the reward for doing what’s difficult.

If you aren’t willing to go through the hard part, you aren’t going to get the easy.

So, I’m learning to love the hard parts.  I took a great bike ride today and cried my eyes out (loudly!) the whole way.

Colorado and it’s big empty space is great for some loud, honkin’ crying.

And after I cried, I thanked God.

Because what I know is that no matter how hard things are to see, as long as I am growing through all of it, allowing every opportunity to guide me to be more of who I am, and continuing to stay present in the truth, it’s all good.  Oh so very good.

What’s hard for you in your business right now? Is there anything you’ve started to become aware of that you’ve been approaching with your eyes closed up until now?  If so, I’d love to hear about it.  The comments are a great place to share.